Organizer Information
Pattern Club is a non-profit organisation that runs Alpaca Festival, a festival focused on algorithmic patterns in the creative arts. The festival brings together artists, craftspeople, performers, researchers, technologists, and communities interested in how patterns are created, transmitted, interpreted, and experienced. Its programme combines live performances, practical workshops, and conference talks, encouraging dialogue between heritage practices and contemporary technologies.
Title & Description
Alpaca Festival 2027 Open Call for Performances, Workshops & Conference Talks
Alpaca Festival invites proposals for its May 2027 edition in Sheffield, UK. The festival explores algorithmic patterns in the creative arts, including procedures for making, material behaviours, and the cultural contexts surrounding pattern-making.
Applicants may propose live performances incorporating algorithmic pattern-based elements, practical workshops exploring pattern-making approaches, ideas or technologies, or conference talks examining pattern-based arts, crafts and technology.
For conference submissions, the 2027 theme is “making languages and notations for making patterns.” Proposals may address traditional and contemporary pattern languages, including textile notation, music, choreography, craft practices, alternative interfaces, computer-based pattern systems, and other interpretations of language and notation.
The festival particularly welcomes connections between heritage algorithms and emerging technologies.
Categories
- Performance
- Visual Art
- Digital Art
- Textile Art
- Craft
- Music
- Dance
- Choreography
- Interactive Art
- Technology
- Algorithmic Art
- Research
- Creative Coding
- Juggling and interdisciplinary practices.
Eligibility
The call is open to artists, makers, performers, workshop facilitators, researchers, craftspeople, technologists, and other practitioners whose work relates to algorithmic or pattern-based creative practices.
The call does not specify a nationality, age, or formal professional-status restriction. International applicants may apply; however, the festival has limited funding for international travel. European train travel may be supported from a small additional budget.
Submissions must be human-authored. The festival states that conference submissions should focus on human creativity rather than generative AI or unsupervised pattern generation by LLMs.
Program Benefits & Awards
Selected performers receive an artist fee and national travel expenses. Selected workshop leaders receive an artist fee, national travel expenses, and materials expenses. Additional costs may potentially be covered on request, subject to the festival's limited budget.
International travel expenses are generally not covered, although a small budget may be available for European train travel.
Selected conference speakers receive a free festival weekend ticket and lunch on the conference days. Conference talks do not receive fees or expenses.
Accepted conference abstracts undergo peer review, with feedback intended to help develop submissions regardless of acceptance. Revised accepted abstracts will be published open access with a DOI, and contributors may subsequently be invited to submit full papers/articles for an edited volume.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 1 November 2026
- Decision notification: December 2026
- Festival: 6–9 May 2027
- Conference talks: 6–7 May 2027
- Workshops & performances: 7–9 May 2027
Location
Sheffield, United Kingdom
Additional Details
Alpaca is particularly interested in work connecting traditional pattern-making practices with contemporary algorithmic technologies. Relevant practices can involve computers, but they do not have to: textile and fibre arts, music, juggling, choreography, craft, and other heritage practices are explicitly welcomed.
Most workshops previously lasted around two hours, while conference talks are expected to be approximately 20 minutes plus Q&A.
Conference submissions are subject to peer review. The organisers also encourage applicants with questions about whether their work fits the festival to contact them before submitting.